Insole and method of making the same



Sept. 16 .1924. 1,508,429

e. E. WARREN 111561.: AND. METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME rii waliiarch 23. 1921 Fig. 1

iness 8 Patented Sept. 16, 19244.,

I UNETED STATES PTENT OFFICE.

GEORGE E. WARREN, E SWAMPSGOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASsIGNoR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY coRroRA'rIoN, or rA'rEEsoN, NEW JERSEY,

NEW JERSEY.

A coRPoRArroN 0 Application filed March 23, 1921. Serial No. 454,755.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEoRGE E. WARR N,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the, county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Insoles and Methods of Making the Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to insoles for boots and shoes and more particularly to what are known commercially as manufactured insoles. Such insoles are generally produced from two or more layers of' sheet insole material and when so constructed are called laminated insoles. The. improvement hereinafter described is applicable especially to laminated insoles.

In the manufacture, of laminated insoles for welt shoes it has heretofore been customary to build a bodyportion of several layers of insole material, the combined thickness of which forms the feather outside the marginal sewing-rib. This feather thickness has been uniform throughout the periphery ,of the feather. The thickness of the upper materials, which are last-ed into the angle formed by the sewing-rib and feather. is not uniform, however, there beinga considerable extra thickness at the end portions of the upper caused by the insertion at the toe of the box-toe and additional toe stiflfening materials, and the insertion atthe heel of the counter the forward ends of which overlap the rear ends of the sewing-rib.v By

the shoe being then in inverted a higher plane relative the upper, position, rests in reason of this the welt, when seated upon" to the base-of the sewing-rib at the end of the welt, a weak inseam results andcona sequently when the outsole ,is attached, the

latter 'is held above its proper plane and v the correct line of the. shoe is lost. If. the sewing-rib is t'oo low to permit the welt to be sewed high, the operator will tip the shoe so as to sew thus formed through the rib orhetween substance will be exposed in the welt crease of the completed shoe, producing what is termed a grinning'inseam which detracts from the appearance of the shoe.

The object of the-present invention'is to produce a laminated insole having a feather which is fitted so as to overcome the difficulties incident to the operation of sewing the upper materials to the insole because of the variation in the thickness of the upper materials just referred to, and which will .result in superior shoe making on any type of shoe.

Accordingly, the present invention provides that the feather of the insole shall be wholly removed at the toe and for a sufli cient distance rearward thereof to provide room for the extra upper materials at this portion of the shoe, with the result that room is provided for the welt to lie properly full and the'long stitch against the sewing-rib, thus insuring an 1n seem at a uniform face of the insole, whereby the proper lines of the shoe are preserved. A novel feature of the insole is the mode of removal of the toe portion of the feather. In accordance with the present invention the. sew

ing-rilo adjacent that portion of the feather which is to be removed is omitted, and the margin ofthe sole then moulded upward height above the tread 7 into the location of said omitted portion. of

the sewing-rib. In effect the original feather at the toe is transformed into a sewing-rib at thetoe.

Hence a feature of the invention residesv in a novel method of making insoles byproviding a sewing-rib forward of substantially the completing Such sewing-rib by fianging the stock at the toe forward of the tip-line, this method producing an insole having a which, does not extend 1 "tip-line and featherless toe end. Such a method useful in the manufacture of any welt insole.

While the invention, as herein illustrates, deals with the specific problem of compensating for the eXtra thickness of upper materials around the toe of the insole, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to that particular portion only of aninsole.

The invention comprises, therefore, an insole having the novel features of construction hereinafter described and the method of making it, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims.

The preferred form of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings shows a laminated, manufactured insole, in which Figure 1 is a plan of the sewing-rib layer of such an insole; Fig. 2 is an end view of F ig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan of the body layers of such an insole, partly broken away; Fig. i is a plan of the toe portion of a partially completed insole; Fig. 5 is a plan of a completed insole; and Fig. 6 is a transverse ection on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The type of laminated insole illustrated in the drawings is composed of three layers of insole material. Although no specific kind of material is essential, it is preferred to mould the sewing-rib in a layer of textile fabric, such as duck, applying to the unribbed face of this layer a second layer of duck, and on that a sock layer of leather skiving, imitation leather or kindred mate rial.

Tn practising the present invention, the blank for the sewing-rib layer 8, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is shorter than the other layers and the finished insole, the toe portion from about the tipline forward not being required. In this short layer, a marginal shoulder or sewing-rib 10 is moulded at each side in the same location as it would have in a complete insole blank. This rib mould-- ing step is performed in any well-known manner.

The two body layers, of duck 12 and of leather skiving 1 1, are preferably first secured together (see Fig. 3) to form a composite sole shaped blank that is thereafter handled as a single piece. The composite layer 12 14- is then secured, by cement, to the unribbed face of the ribbed layer 8, care being taken, however, not to cement that portion of the composite layer which projects beyond the short ribbed layer. At this stage the insole has a complete. feather 15 but no sewing-rib forward of the tipline.

In order to complete the sewing-rib, and at the same time obtain the advantageous construction at the toe hereinbefore adverted to, the next step in the manufacture of the insole comprises the formation of a pair of oppositely disposed transverse slits 16 (Fig.

the toe of the upper 4:) through the composite layer 12-l1 these slits being cut inward through the margin of the sole just at the ends of the moulded sewingrib 10 and being equal in length to the width of the feather at this point. Preferably, although not necessarily, at the same operation, a pair of holes 18 (Fig. 5) may be punched in the heel-seat if, as is con templated, the insole is to be incorporated in a standard shoe of the general type disclosed in a copending application Ser. No. 476,659, filed by the present applicant June 11, 1921. Having out the slits 16 the final step in the preferred method of manufacture of the insole consists in moulding or upturning the toe portion of the composite layer l2-l s extending forward of the slits 16, in a manner to provide a marginal flange 20 located in the position which would have been occupied by the moulded sewing-rib 10 had it been continued round the toe. This step may be performed in any well-known flanging press, the moulds of which are so shaped as to g ve the required form and location to the flange.

- The characteristics of the completed insole are illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 and it will be observed that while the insole is provided with a complete sewing-rib or shoulder against which the upper and welt may be sewed, there is no feather about the toe por tion forward of substantially the tip-line so that the base of the rib about the toe is disposed in a lower plane than the base of the rib at the rear of the tip line. When a shoe having this insole incorporated therein is in seamed, the absence of the feather at the toe gives space in which the extra materials at may lie and thus provides for the proper location of the welt about the toe, that is, not in a higher plane relative to the body of the insole than along the sides of the insole. This insures an even line for the inseam, preser es the correct line of the welt crease and provides an even surface on which to lay the outsole. Those skilled in the art will recognize that an iii-- sole having the characteristics defined will add quality, accuracy and perfection to shoe making since its use overcomes all irregularity and lack of uniformity heretofore present in fitting the upper to the last.

While the process of manufacture has been described in the preferred sequence of the steps it should be understood that this sequence be varied without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and the preferred method of its practise having been described, what is claimed as new is 1. A manufactured insole comprising a plurality of layers, one of which is provided with, a marginal sewing-rib at each side, the

welt insoles which forward ends thereof terminating at substantially the tip line, and the remaining layers of which are provided with a marginal flange forward of the. tip-line so located as to complete the sewing-rib about the toe.

2. A manufactured insole comprising a plurality of layers, the sewing-rib of which is formed at one portion of the insole by one of the layers, and at another portion of the insole by the remaining layers.

3. A manufactured insole comprising a plurality of layers, the sewing-rib of which is formed at one portion of the insole by a moulded marginal shoulder in one outside layer, and at another portion by the margin of the remaining layers.

4:. A manufactured insole comprising a plurality of layers, an outer one of which is shorter than the others by the length of. the toe forward of the tip-line, said short layer having a marginal sewing-rib at each side, and the remaining layers of which have a marginal flange forward of the tip-line, the rear ends of which abut the forward ends of said sewing-rib.

5. A manufactured insole, comprising a plurality of layers, having a sewing-rib around the forepart, different portions of which rib are formed respectively by differ ent layers.

6. A manufactured welt insole comprising a plurality of layers having a feather formed from all of said layers extending substantially from the breast line to the tip-line, a featherless toe portion forward of the tipline, and a sewing-rib comprising a marginal shoulder on an outer layer adjacent said feather and a vertical wall on another layer, not including said. outer layer, about the edge of said toe portion.

7. A step product in the formation of manufactured welt insoles, comprising a plurality of layers, an outer one of which is shorter than the others by the length of the toe forward of the tip-line, said short layer having a marginal sewing-rib at each side, and the remaining layers having oppositely disposed transverse marginal slits substantially at the tip-line extending inward to said sewing-rib.

8. A welt insole provided with a marginal sewing-rib and feather outside it substantially from the breast line tothe tip-line, and a marginal flange forward of the tipline produced from the entire thickness of the stock at the toe and completing the sewing-rib about the toe.

9. The method of making manufactured comprises moulding a marginal sewing-rib at the sides of a blank of insole material which is minus the po=rtion forward of the tip-line, assembling on the unribbed side thereof a second blank of insole material of complete sole shape, forming transverse marginal slits in said second material which is minus 10. The method o-f'making manufactured] welt insoles which includes the steps of cutting transverse marginal slits in a sole shaped blank of insole material at substantially the ends of the tip-line of a depth approximating the width of the require feather, Hanging the toe end of said blank from one slit to the other, providing a marginal sewing-rib at the sides of another blank of insole material which is minus the portion forward of the tip-line, and at a convenient time assembling the two blanks in such relation that the rear ends of the flange will abut the forward ends of the sewing-rib and form a continuation thereof.

11. The method of making manufactured insoles which includes the steps of preparing a blank of insole material, which is minus the portion forward of the tip-line, with a marginal sewing-rib at each side, assembling at the unribbed face of such blank a sole shaped blank and flanging its. toe portion, said second blank previous to the production of the flange having had its margin on each side at approximately the tip-line slit transversely to demark the rear limits of said flange, and securing the blanks together.

12. The method of making manufactured insoles which comprises moulding a marginal sewing-rib at the sides of a blank of insole the portion forward of the tip-line, preparing a composite blank of two layers of insole material of complete sole shape, said second blank being assembled at the unribbed face of the first blank, forming marginal slits in the second blank at the forward end of said ribbed blank equal in depth to the distance the sewing-rib lies within the edge thereof, and flanging both layers of the composite blank from the base of the slit at one side to the base of the slit at the other side to produce a continuous sewing-rib.

13. The method of making manufactured insoles which comprises providing a layer of insole material having a sewing-rib and having a less area than the finished insole, securing to the unribbed side of said layer another layer formed to provide a complemental sewing-rib, the said ribs on the two layers together constituting a sewing-rib extending around the entire forepart of the insole.

14. The method of making manufactured insoles which comprises providing a margi= nal sewing-rib in a blank of insole material which is minus a. portion adjacent to one end, securing to the unribbed side thereof a second layer of insole material, and upturning a portion of the margin of. said. Se nd layer to complete the sewing-rib around the entire forepart of the insole.

15. The method of making manufactured insoles: which comprises providing a. margr vl3 nal sewing-rib and feather in a blank of insolematerial which terminates substantially at the tip line, securing to the unribbed side of said blank another layer of material formed to provide a oomplemental sewing; rib about the toe, the base of said compleinental sewing-rib being disposed in a lower plane than the base of the rib at the rear of the tip line.

GEORGE E. l VARRENQ 

